Baked Arancini
These crispy baked arancini are a delicious version of the traditional Sicilian rice balls - Easy to make and perfect for entertaining!
There are lots of good reasons to fall in love with these salmon & pea baked arancini
First of all, they're extremely easy to make, plus they're loaded with nutrient-packed ingredients, and last but not least, they're baked instead of fried.
It's difficult to reach the same crispy deliciousness you get when biting traditional fried arancini. But, trust me on this and keep scrolling down.
I've got a secret (well, not so secret now!) magic coating mix that will guarantee crunchy awesome baked arancini EVERY SINGLE TIME.
You can make a BIG batch of these salmon arancini ready in less than 1 hour and they're the perfect Italian appetizer to share!
Jump to:
What are arancini?
Arancini, which in Italian means "little oranges", are stuffed rice balls coated in breadcrumbs and fried to perfection.
Arancini are a traditional Sicilian recipe, and they usually come either in a cone or a ball shape.
The most common fillings for Arancini are Italian ragu', or butter and parmesan. However, nowadays you can find Sicilian rosticcerie (little shops where arancini are sold) selling arancini in more than 100 different varieties!
Baked arancini ingredients
Today I'm going to share one of my favorite arancini recipes, which includes a delicious filling of salmon & pea, a fantastic ingredient combo perfect to celebrate the warmer weather.
The ingredients list is short and made of simple ingredients:
- fresh salmon fillet,
- frozen peas
- risotto rice (carnaroli or vialone nano)
- panko breadcrumbs
- free-range eggs
- onion
- organic lemon zest
- saffron
- thyme
- cooking oil: I use extravirgin olive oil, but another lightly flavored vegetable oil would work well.
They also freeze beautifully, so you can stock up your freezer and have them ready in a blink for a quick weeknight meal, or for when arancini-cravings happen. Being Sicilian, I crave them all the time!
How to make baked arancini
There are two ways to prepare the rice for the arancini.
The traditional recipe calls for boiled rice mixed with saffron and eggs.
A quicker, modern way calls for leftover risotto, which makes things a lot quicker.
If you go for the latter, go over to my asparagus risotto recipe and swap asparagus with peas (or use both!).
I opted for the traditional route here, and made my rice from scratch.
It doesn't take long, but you need to cool it completely for a couple of hours, so my best tip is to prepare the rice the night before, so you have it all ready the next day.
The salmon & pea filling, on the other hand, comes together pretty quickly.
Give all the ingredients a quick stir-fry, and it's pretty much done.
Now that you've got the main ingredients for your baked arancini covered, it's time to get them together.
Start with a spoonful of the rice and place it into your hand.
Arrange a spoonful of the salmon mixture into the center and wrap the rice around it to seal completely.
When making baked arancini, the coating you use is critical.
To achieve the same crunchiness you get from the fried version, I’ve come up with a special coating mix that makes these baked arancini just as crisp and delicious as deep fried.
The coating is made with just 2 simple ingredients: super crunchy panko breadcrumbs, and a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil.
It’s absolutely perfect for oven-frying these arancini, as it recreates perfectly the crunchy texture you usually can only get by deep-frying.
Now, moving back to the arancini, once the coating is ready, all you have to do is roll those arancini.
Dip each rice ball first into whisked eggs, then roll them into the special coating until fully covered.
Place your prepared arancini in a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown and super crispy.
Serve them straight out from the oven, and get ready to bite in a super tasty golden ball of delicious goodness.
Arancini recipe FAQs
Having made over 100s of arancini in the past few years, I get asked lots of questions regarding arancini, so here are some of the most popular ones:
How long do arancini keep?
Prepare and bake the arancini in advance, and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Can you reheat arancini in the oven?
Absolutely yes. You can pop the arancini back in the oven and reheat them at 150°C/ 300°F for about 5-10 minutes.
Can you freeze arancini after cooking?
Yes, you can! Once your baked arancini are ready, pop them in a freeze-friendly container and freeze them for up to 1 month.
Whenever you are craving arancini, place them in the oven and reheat them at 150°C/ 300°F for about 15 minutes.
What do you serve with arancini balls?
Sometimes, no matter what filling you use, arancini tend to be a bit on the dry side.
So, if you like, pair these salmon arancini with a spicy lemon yogurt dip, or a classic marinara sauce.
You can also add a couple of mozzarella cubes to the filling.
More Sicilian recipes to try
If you're looking for more Sicilian recipes to try, here are some suggestions:
- Parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parmesan)
- Sicilian caponata
- Cod Puttanesca - Sicilian Fish Stew
- Chocolate Cannoli
- Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Pasta alla Norma - Eggplant Pasta
- Sicilian Granita Recipe
- Peperonata
Did You Try This Recipe?
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Recipe
Baked Arancini
Ingredients
For the rice:
- 500 g carnaroli rice
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter, optional
- salt
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small gold onion, finely minced
- 300 g salmon fillet, finely chopped
- 150 g frozen peas
- zest of ½ lemon
- a handful of fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- sea salt & black pepper
For the coating:
- 250 g panko breadcrumbs
- 5 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- For the rice: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice and season with salt to taste. Cook until al dente, and towards the end of cooking time add the saffron.
- Drain the rice and transfer into a large bowl. Stir in optional Parmesan cheese and butter, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for about one hour or until cooled completely. The rice should be compact and sticky to the touch.
- For the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over low heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Then add chopped salmon and cook until no longer pink, about 2 minutes.
- Add the lemon zest and thyme leaves, then season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
- For the baked arancini: Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- To make the arancini, scoop a tablespoon of rice into your hand. Place 1 tablespoon of the salmon mixture into the centre and wrap the risotto around it to seal completely. Repeat with the remaining rice and filling.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs with olive oil until well combined, your coating mix should be lightly wet, add a bit more oil if necessary, then season with salt and pepper to taste.In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs.
- Dip each arancini ball first into the egg mixture, then roll into the coating mix, gently pressing to coat. Repeat with remaining balls.
- Arrange the arancini onto the prepared baking tray and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Post originally published in July 2018 and updated with more info.
Wow! How tasty and special these look. I am doing some serious drooling!
Thank you so much Patty!!
This reminds me of the Indian Kofta. We make stuffed balls and dunk them in a curry. Didn't realize these ideas were so similar until i read your post.
I'm ashamed to say I never had Indian Kofta- I'll have to try them soon!
these look awesome! great idea
I love rice and this cheese combination. YOu know its funny we grew up on that oil and that all my family ever used the best!
I'm obsessed with arancini! Every time I visit an Italian restaurant I order them but this salmon variation looks so much tastier! Gotta try it!
I make arancini often, but have never had ti with seafood. What a great idea! Makes it extra hearty...I could definitely eat a lot of these 🙂 YUM!
Gorgeous! And totally delicious looking! I'm more of a baker, but I think even I could handle this recipe, pinning!
Gosh those look so good! Would you believe I've never tried arancini before? I need to remedy this, and I have all the ingredients for your recipe at home!
Oh my, I can't believe you never tried them Elizabeth! You need to make up for this asap 😀
I love rice balls so I can't wait to try this new take on it. Thanks for sharing!
I love arancini! This filling looks so unique and delicious! A must try for sure!
Arancini is one of my favorites! I never would have thought to make a meal out of it! Brilliant!!
These look so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
I've never had an arancini! Now I have to try this! That salmon and pea mixture would be great with anything as well!!
You definitely need to try arancini!!
I love arincini! This looks so good- and I've never had it with salmon!
They have a more delicate flavour compared to the classic version, perfect for summer time!
These are totally making my mouth water! Making them asap!
I'm drooling over this! I've never tried making arancini, but this recipe looks too good to not try.
You definitely need to try them!!
I love your blog and recipes! Thanks for making our meals so much healthier and really delicious.
Thank you so much Linda!